Air cooler



July l1, 1933.

Filed Aug. l, 1950 UNITED STATES LEE W. MELC'HER, .0F WINNETKA, ILLINOIS` -AIR cooLEn Application filed August 1, 1930. Serial No. 472,361.

The invention relates generally to air coolers. More particularly the invention relates to that type of air cooler which is portable and comprises a refrigerating unit andan enclosing casing for the unit.

One object of the invention is to provide an air cooler of this type in which the enclosing casing for the refrigerating unit is shaped to form an upper and a lower chamber and the refrigerating unit is arranged so that the motorvfor driving the compressor is located in the casing between the two chambers, and the condenser is mounted in thev upper chamber and the expansion Coil is mounted in the lower chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air cooler of the last mentioned character which embodies a pair of fans which are mounted on opposite ends of the armature shaft of the motor and o erate to cool *the condenser and to force al1' around the a comparatively small number of parts and ma be manufactured at a low cost. c

ther objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present cooler construction will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof. Y In the drawing which accompanies and forms a. part of this specification or disclosure and'in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views: r

Fig. 1 is a perspective of an air 'cooler embodymg the invention; and y Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the cooler.

The cooler which forms the subject matter of the invention is in the form of a portable -unit and comprises a roundcasing 4. The

latter is mounted on a base 5 and comprises a sheet metal bottommember 6 which is seupwardly extending annular flange 7. In addition to the bottom member, the casing 4 comprises an upper member 8. This member is formed of sheet metal, embodies a central constricted portion 9* and is secured above the bottom member 6 by vertically extending bars 9 so as to form an air outlet 9n for the casing. The bars 9 are secured to and extend betweenthe annular iange 7 of the bottom member 6 and the lower portion of the upper member 8 of the casing. The lower portion of the upper casing-member is enlarged and is connected to the constricted central portion 9b. by a conical portion 10. The enlarged lower portion of the upper member of the casing forms a coolingchamber33 in which are housed an expansion coil l19, a rotary compressor 22 and a fan 21 for forcing air through the cooling chamber 33. The upper portion of the upper casing-member is en- 7 larged, as at 12, to form a chamber 32 through which air is forced to cool a condenser coil 26. The extreme upper portion of the upper member 8 cal portion 13 which is `provided with a central upwardly discharging outlet 14 for the discharge of air entering the chamber l32 through inlets 15 which are formed in an upwardly fiared wall 16 between the upper portion of the upper casing-member 8 and the portion 9*.

An electric motor fits in the constricted portion 9b of the upper casing-member and substantially closes communication between the chamber 33 in the enlarged lower portion 85 of the upper member ofthe casing and the chamber 32 in the upper portion of said member of the casing. This motor comprises a housing 17 and an armature shaft 18 and is arranged so that the shaft extends vertically.V The shaft 18 extends above the motor housing 17 and has secured toits upper end ahorizontally rotating fan 20 for'drawing air through the inlets 15 and forcing it mi through the chamber 32 and'then out of the casing by way of the outlet 14. The lower end ofthe shaft 18 projects downwardly from the.l motor housing 17 and has secured thereto a horizontally rotating fan 21. This :hun4 is larger than the fan and is adapted .10

of the 4casing terminates in a conito draw air through inlets 11 in the enlarged lower portion of the casing-member 8 and force it through the cooling chamber 33 and then out of the casing through the outlet 9". The extreme lower end of the armature shaft 18 of the motor extends below the fan 21 and is connected to drive the rotor of the compressor 22. The expansion coil 19 consists of a spirally wound pipe and is disposed in the lower portion of the casing-member 8 below the fan 21.. It contains a suitable refrigerant, such as sulphur dioxide, and has its outlet terminal connected, at 23, to the inlet side of the compressor u22. The outlet side of the compressor 22 -is connected, at 24, to a verticalpipe 25 which is connected to the inlet end of the condenser coil 26. The latter is located above the fan `and is disposed in the chamber 32 in the upper por- 20 tion of the upper casing-member 8. A pipe 27 connects the outlet `end of the condenser coil to the high pressurer side of an expansion or pressure reducing valve 28 which 1s disposed in the upper portion of the cooling Az5 chamber 33, The low pressure side of the valve 28 is connected by a pipe 29 to the inlet terminal of the expansion coil 19: The pipe 27 passes through an oiiset portion 3() in the upper casing-member 8. The plpe 30 extends through an offset portion in the u pper member of the casing and is located dlavmetrically opposite the pipe 27. The housing 17 of the electric motor is removably secured by screws 31 in the constricted por- 85 tion 9b of the casing 4.

' The operation of the cooler is as follows:

When the electric motor is in operation,

the compressor 22 is driven by the armature shaft 18 and operates to compress the re- 40' frigerant and force it upwardly 'through the pipe 25 to the condenser coil 26. Fan 20 draws air through inlets 15 into the chamber 32 and forces it around the condenser coil 26 to coolthe compressed refrigerant. The heat absorbed by the air 1n passing around the condenser coil is discharged through the outlet 14 in the extreme upper portion of the casing-member 8 into the upper portion of the room in which the cooler is so located. At valve 28, the pressure of the refrigera t is reduced and the refrigerant expands nd passes through the pipe 29 and the expansion coil 19 'to the compressor. The fan 21 draws air through the inlets 11 and forces it through the chamber 33 and around and between the loops of the expansion coil 19, and causes the air after it 1s cooled by the expansion coil to blow through the openin 9 and thus out of the casing. n practice it has been found that the normal room temperatures are relatively different in the upper and lower portions' of the room and the present cooler functions to increase the differential by forcing warm ff air from the condenser coil 26 to the upper 'portion of the room and drawing' air from the intermediate zone into the cooling chamber 33, cooling it, and then discharging it into the lower portion of the room. Thus, the cooler serves to extract the heat from the air in the lower portion of the room and to force the air heated by the condenser to the upper portion of the room, thereby increasing the differential in temperatures be- -the upper portion thereof, the air heated by the cooler may be evacuated from the upper portion of the room by the use of such a fan and the evacuated air may be replaced by way of a ioor opening or-like instrumentality.

The electric motor is connected by .a flexible cord 34 to a suitable source of current supply, so that it may be moved with comparative ease to any desired portion of a room. If desired, a thermostatic switch 35 may be included in the circuit to stop automatically the motor when the temperature falls below a redetermined point. A pad 36 ci) absorbent material, such as felt, is .placed in the bottom. member 6 of the casing to retain by way of absorption any moisture which drops from the ex ansion' coil 19 when the cooler is stopped.' uring use of the cooler, frost adheres to the expansion coil during the expansion period of the refrigerant, and whenthe device is stopped, the frost melts and the condensate falls onto the ad and is absorbed and retained. When theY an is again started, the air passing over l the top of the pad evaporates the moisture so it will be absorbed by the air discharged into the room.

The herein described air cooler consists of but a comparatively few parts and therefore may be manufactured at a low and reasonable cost.` It is exceedingly eficient in operation and occupies but a small space in 'that the various parts of the refrigerating unit arecompactly arranged within the cas# ing.

The invention is not to be understoodas restricted to thedetails 1set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the a pended'claims, without departing from t e spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the inv I claim as new and 'desire by Letters Patent, is:

1. lln an air cooler, the combination of a refrigerating unitcomprising a compressor, an expansion coil, a condenser, and an electric anti.

motor having a vertically lextending shaft motor in which the condenser and expansion coil are disposed respectively, and a pair of fans for forcing air through said chambers connected to be driven by the motor.

2. In an air'cooler, the combination of arefrigerating unit comprising a compressor, an expansion coil, a condenser, and an elec- 'tric motor connected to drive the compressor, a unitary casing enclosing said unit and having a chamber in its lower portionv in which the expansion coil is disposed, and a chamber in its upper portion in which the condenser is disposed, a fan driven by the motor for forcing air upwardly through the upper chamber, and a fan driven by the motor for forcing air through the lower chamber, the casing being provided' with air inlet and outlet openings for the lower chamber and air inlet and outlet openings for the upper chamber.

, 3.4 In an air cooler, the combination of a refrigerating unit comprising a compressor, .an expansion coil, a condenser, and anelectric motor connected to drive the compressor, a unitary casing enclosing said unit and having a chamber in its lower portion in which the expansion coil and the compressor are disposed, and a chamber in its upper portion in which the condenser is disposed, a fan driven by the motor for forcing air upwardly through the upper chamber,and a fan driven by the motor for forcing air downwardly through the lower chamber, the casing being provided with air inlet and outlet openings for the lower chamber and air 1inlet and outlet openings for the upper cham- 4. In an air cooler, the combination of a refrigerating unit comprising a compressor, an expansioncoil, a condenser, and an electric motor having a vertical shaft connected to drive the compressor, a unitary casing enclosing said unit and having a chamber below the motorand in its lower portion in which the expansion coilis disposed, and a chamber in its upper portion above the motor in which the condenser is disposed, a fan connected to be driven by'the upper end of the. motor-shaft for forcing air upwardly through the upper chamber and a second fan connected to be driven by the lower end of the motor-shaft for forcing air downwardl-y and. then outwardly through the lower chamber, the casing being provided with airinlet and outlet openings for 'the lower chamber and air inlet andoutlet openings for the upper chamber.

5. In an-air cooler, the combination of a ref'rige'ratingv unit comprising a compressor. an expansion coil, a Condenser and an electric motor having a vertical'shaft connected to drive the condenser, a casing enclosing said unit and comprising an enlarged lower portion provided with a chamber containing the expansion coil, and a reduced upperportion which surrounds the motor and forms a chamber above the motor for the condenser,

va fan on the lower eud of the shaft of the motor for forcing air through the lower chamber, and-a fan on the upper end of the shaft of the motor for forcing air through .the upper chamber, the casing' being provided withV air inlet and outlet openings for the lower chamber and air inlet had outlet openings for the upper chamber.

6. In an air cooler, the combination of a refrigerating unit comprising a compressor, an expansion coil, a condenser and au electric motor connected to drive the compressor, a unitary casing enclosing the unit and provided with a chamber. in its lower portion in which theexpansion coil is disposed, and air inlet and outlet openings for said chamber, means' in the lower portionl of the casing for catching and retaining condensate from the expansion coil, and a' fan for forcing air through said chamber and over said means. I

7. In an air cooler, the combination of a refrigerating unit comprising a compressor, an expansion coil, a condenser and an electric motor connected to drive the compressor, a

unitary casing enclosing the unit and provided with a chamberfin its lower` portion in which the expansion coil is disposed, and air inlet and outlet openings for said chamber, an absorbent element in the lowerpor- 'tion of the casing for catching and .retaining condensate from theexpansion coil, and a fan driven by `the motor for forcing air through said chamber and over said element.

8 In apparatus for cooling the air .in a room, the .combination of a refrigerating unit comprising a compressor, an expansion coil, a condenser, and a motor connected to drive the compressor, a unitar casing enclosing the refrigerating unit an embodying a 'part forming a chamber-for the condenser and having an inlet opening and anupwardly facing outlet opening whereby air is permitted to ow to the chamber into contact `with the condenser for condenser-cooling purposes and then to flow upwardly out of the'chamber and towards the top of the room, and also embodyin another part forminga separate chamber or the expansion coil and having for the last mentioned chamber an air inlet `and a laterally extending. air outlet beneath -the outlet opening for thecondenser chamber, and a fan in the chamber for the expansion coil connected to be driven by the motor and arranged to draw air into the last mentioned chamber for cooling by the expansioncoil and to force 'the cool or refrigerated air out of the coil chamber through the laterally extending outlet in order to form a cool layer of air beneath the air .the compressor, a unitary casing enclosing the refrigerating unit and embodying a partforming a -chamber for the condenser and having an inlet opening and an upwardly facing outlet opening whereby air is permitted to iow into the chamber into contact with the condenser for condenser-cooling purposes and then to flow upwardly out of the chamber towards the top of the room, and also embodying another part forming a separate chamber for the expansion coil and having for the last mentioned chamber an air inlet and a laterally extending air outlet beneath said inlet and the outlet opening for the condenser chamber, and a horizontally extending fan in the chamber for the expansion coil connected to be driven by the motor and arranged to draw air downwardly into the last mentioned chamber for cooling by the expansion coil and to force the cool or refrigerated air downwardly and then outwardly through the laterally. extending 'outlet in order to form a cool layer of air beneath the airflowing upwardly towards the top of theroom from the outlet opening for the condenser chamber.

10. In apparatus for cooling the air in a room, the combination of a refrigerating unit of July, 1930.

comprising a compressor, an expansion coil,

a condenser, and a motor connected to drive the compressor, va unltary casing enclosing the refrigerating unit and embodying a part forming a chamber for the condenser and having for the chamber an inlet opening and an upwardly facing outlet opening above the inlet opening, and also embodying another part forming a separate chamber for the expansion coil land having for the last mentioned chamber an air inlet and a laterally extending air outlet beneath said inlet and the outlet opening for the condenser chamber,

for the expansion coil .connected to be drivl en by the motor and arranged to draw air'w downwardly into the last mentioned chamber for cooling by the expansion coil and to force the cool or refrigerated air downwardly and then outwardly through the laterally extending outlet in order to form a cool layer of air beneath the air flowing upwardly towards the top of the room'from the outlet opening for the condensed chamber.

Signed at Winnetka, Illinois, this 11th day LEE w.v MELCHER. i

ilo 

